A New Destiny For Carnival

Date Posted: 07 Mar 2012

Carnival have announced that the Carnival Destiny is set to undergo one of the biggest refits ever seen in modern cruising. The ship is scheduled to go into dry-dock for 49 days, from February until April in 2013 and will emerge as the Carnival Sunshine.

We first reported on Carnival Destiny's refit back in July and in this week's announcement the cruise line have confirmed plans for a $155 million refit, along with a new name.

Carnival Destiny was previously the cruise line's flagship when she was launched in 1996. Carnival Cruises also own Princess Cruises, who last year completely refurbished another of their former flagships, Grand Princess.

After 49 days in dry-dock the 101,000 tonne ship will emerge as the Carnival Sunshine. Carrying 2,600 passengers, the Carnival Sunshine will look like a new ship after the extensive overhaul of the entire ship set to take place.

The main dining rooms are set for a huge overhaul and new venues will be appearing onboard, such as the Italian Cucina del Capitano, which debuted on Carnival Magic, and Guy's Burger Joint. The ship's cabins will be completely redecorated, bringing them up to standard with the cruise line's newest ships, as well as adding 182 new cabins, including spa suites and inside staterooms.

The RedFrog Pub, another favourite from the Carnival Magic, will appear on Carnival Sunshine and the BlueIguana Tequila Bar, which debuted on Carnival Liberty will be another new addition. There will also be the EA Sports bar, the cuban themed Havanna Bar and the vintage-themed cocktail Alchemy Bar. These news bars will give the social side of the ship a completely new lease of life.

The ship, which is being overhauled in Carnival Corp's favourite shipyard, the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, will sail around the Med in Summer 2013, before heading across the Atlantic to her new home in New Orleans.

With the Carnival Legend coming to Europe and sailing from Dover, Barcelona and Venice in 2013, Carnival are making big waves in Europe as their fleet continues to grow and re-shape.

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